From broken bolts to questionable decisions made by previous owners to parts that aren’t exactly the price you thought they’d be, wrenching can be pain. However, every so often, the luck of the draw is on our side. For every handful of repairs that fight you, one ends up being far cheaper than you’d expect. It’s time to celebrate the cheap ones.
As you’d probably expect, cheap fixes come relatively far and few between for me, considering my crippling addiction to heavily depreciated performance cars, frequently of European origin. Alright, maybe calling my 325i a performance car is a bit of a stretch in a straight line, but the inputs are bang-on perfect. Anyway, despite doing the exact opposite of making my life easier, little wrenching victories still happen, and here are two that spring to mind.
When I bought my 325i, I bought it cheap for several reasons. Firstly, COVID just hit, and that had an initial dip on the car market. Secondly, it was an old BMW with a ridiculous number of previous owners. Thirdly, the airbag light was on, and that would be a problem for the eventual safety inspection needed to register a used car in Ontario.
Weirdly, the passenger seat also didn’t move when I picked the car up. A quick peek underneath the seat revealed a crude, homemade smoking apparatus jammed up under there had been wedged against the seat plug just enough to kill connection and trip an airbag light. Removing the, um, paraphernalia, re-seating the plug, and clearing the hard code worked! Total cost? Free.99, and that’s hard to beat.
Likewise, when I bought my Boxster, the translucent cover for one of the alarm system sensors was missing, and I figured I’d just grit my teeth, order a replacement from the main dealer, and cry once to have it sorted. Turns out, the trim piece I needed was less than $15 Canadian. A stark contrast to Infiniti wanting to charge me $100 for a license plate light bracket for my old G35. Plus, the trim bit simply snapped into place in two seconds, and while that’s to be expected, it’s nice when the parts are cheap and the fix is easy.
So, let’s hear it for the repairs that were less expensive than you expected. Whether surprisingly inexpensive parts, a much simpler fix than what originally seemed plausible, or a combination of the two, we’d love to talk about the times the wrenching gods smiled upon you and got you back on the road without emptying your wallet.
(Photo credits: Thomas Hundal)
Once upon a time, long ago, I was headed home from Grand’ma visit on the A3 ( Paris suburb motorway, nothing English to see here ) when the temperature light came on.
Since I was at the top of the hill, and headed down hill towards home, I just turned off the engine ( since the Citroën AX didn’t have much assisted, nor any computer controlled stuff, it’s something you could do…up to a point, Brakes would become an issue at some point, but you could get by with a few minutes of idle to renew the pressure. )
I managed to limp home (it was easy as it was downhill, between use of the parking brake and a few engine idling while moving to restore breaking), and parked the car for the night fully expecting the cost of a new radiator or something worse.
The next morning after putting some water in the cooling, I headed to the local Citroën outlet… already planning the next few months of accounting to fit the repair costs in my expenses…
I explained my problem, the mechanician had a look under the bonnet, and came out of it with a melted bit of plastic, telling me that it would take 5 minutes to fix and it would cost me… a full refill of of the cooling and a plastc cork.
The cooling refill actually cost me more than the replacement of the melted bit of plastic.
But in 20 minutes my car was fixed for less than a restaurant lunch when I was expecting a massive hit to my finances.
Had repeated overheating issues on my 86 mini 1000. Ended up changing (in order) the temp sender, thermostat, water pump, radiator, and gauge cluster. Never figured it out, never had any symptoms aside from the gauge spiking.
Then I drove the car at night and the headlights cut off. When I got them back on, the gauge was buried in the red but started dropping. That weekend I figured out the temperature gauge was sharing a ground with the headlight switch. Which was loose. So the repair was free.
Had repeated overheating issues on my 86 mini 1000. Ended up changing (in order) the temp sender, thermostat, water pump, radiator, and gauge cluster. Never figured it out, never had any symptoms aside from the gauge spiking.
Then I drove the car at night and the headlights cut off. When I got them back on, the gauge was buried in the red but started dropping. That weekend I figured out the temperature gauge was sharing a ground with the headlight switch. Which was loose. So the repair was free.
One day, my Clio started having weird losses of power during acceleration. I feared the clutch was on its way out, which at the time I couldn’t do myself.
Turns out it was one of the recently changed spark plugs that had broken down. I got a 2 figure bill instead of a 3 figure one. As a young bloke starting his career, that was a huge relief.
One day, my Clio started having weird losses of power during acceleration. I feared the clutch was on its way out, which at the time I couldn’t do myself.
Turns out it was one of the recently changed spark plugs that had broken down. I got a 2 figure bill instead of a 3 figure one. As a young bloke starting his career, that was a huge relief.
Having been falmiliar with tuneup parts for my ’67 VW squareback, I was mentally prepared to pay much more when I went in to get similar tuneup parts for my recently acquired ’67 Sunbeam Alpine. The parts were cheaper than VW parts!
Having been falmiliar with tuneup parts for my ’67 VW squareback, I was mentally prepared to pay much more when I went in to get similar tuneup parts for my recently acquired ’67 Sunbeam Alpine. The parts were cheaper than VW parts!
The one and only time in my life I took a vehicle from “unexpectedly not functional” to “excellent working order” myself.
With my old Ford Econoline, one day:
Key in ignition –> turn to Accessory and then On –> dash lights come on, everything normal –> turn to Start –> everything dies.
Take key out. Repeat, same result.
Now, realistically, I have plenty of fun doing some conceptually simple interior jobs in my vehicles–replace a speaker, install a subwoofer, replace a head unit, install dash cams…but I hate getting my hands dirty and have never really had a place to do much under the hood beyond refilling my wiper fluid.
Nonetheless, as an American Man, I was legally and culturally obligated to open the hood and confirm “yes, the engine is made out of engine”.
Lo and behold….the positive connector on the battery was loose. So the first motion of the engine trying to turn over was enough to disconnect it completely. Grabbed two wrenches, tightened the connector on the terminal, and it was working again.
So freakin’ simple, but I treasure that moment as the only time that van didn’t cost me more than anticipated (like the time I called a contractor who goes by “Bob the Water Doctor” to install a sealant around the CHMSL because I was getting a leak in the back whenever it rained. To his credit, it did stop the leak). And, you know, problem solving despite an even more limited understanding of how cars work then than I do now.
The one and only time in my life I took a vehicle from “unexpectedly not functional” to “excellent working order” myself.
With my old Ford Econoline, one day:
Key in ignition –> turn to Accessory and then On –> dash lights come on, everything normal –> turn to Start –> everything dies.
Take key out. Repeat, same result.
Now, realistically, I have plenty of fun doing some conceptually simple interior jobs in my vehicles–replace a speaker, install a subwoofer, replace a head unit, install dash cams…but I hate getting my hands dirty and have never really had a place to do much under the hood beyond refilling my wiper fluid.
Nonetheless, as an American Man, I was legally and culturally obligated to open the hood and confirm “yes, the engine is made out of engine”.
Lo and behold….the positive connector on the battery was loose. So the first motion of the engine trying to turn over was enough to disconnect it completely. Grabbed two wrenches, tightened the connector on the terminal, and it was working again.
So freakin’ simple, but I treasure that moment as the only time that van didn’t cost me more than anticipated (like the time I called a contractor who goes by “Bob the Water Doctor” to install a sealant around the CHMSL because I was getting a leak in the back whenever it rained. To his credit, it did stop the leak). And, you know, problem solving despite an even more limited understanding of how cars work then than I do now.
I was swapping my sport seats out on my Corvette for the earlier style of sport seats that looked more like jump jet seats and are significantly more comfortable/supportive. All of the switches on the seats I bought were trashed and the Corvette Tax means that each individual switch was like $50 without shipping (and I needed 8 of them total and they were all labeled differently); so what I did instead was go on DigiKey and buy generic toggle switches that were the nearly identical in dimensions for all the seat switches for like $35 for the lot.
I had to fiddle about to rewire them to get them to work correctly but they do now and now the seat wiring is “portable” if I wanted to put them in something else (like say, a C5 or C6).
I was swapping my sport seats out on my Corvette for the earlier style of sport seats that looked more like jump jet seats and are significantly more comfortable/supportive. All of the switches on the seats I bought were trashed and the Corvette Tax means that each individual switch was like $50 without shipping (and I needed 8 of them total and they were all labeled differently); so what I did instead was go on DigiKey and buy generic toggle switches that were the nearly identical in dimensions for all the seat switches for like $35 for the lot.
I had to fiddle about to rewire them to get them to work correctly but they do now and now the seat wiring is “portable” if I wanted to put them in something else (like say, a C5 or C6).
Swapping the glovebox in my Astra as the old one required copious amount of slamming to maybe stay closed. Before this year It’d been a w h i l e since I’ve been to a U-pull, but I was able to find the glovebox and an aftermarket center console. Including the entry fee I got both for less than $20 when I was expecting to cough up more than double.
Swapping the glovebox in my Astra as the old one required copious amount of slamming to maybe stay closed. Before this year It’d been a w h i l e since I’ve been to a U-pull, but I was able to find the glovebox and an aftermarket center console. Including the entry fee I got both for less than $20 when I was expecting to cough up more than double.
It happened yesterday. Car was making a ton of noise from the suspension. I was preparing to replace a bunch of stuff on this 12 year old Volvo. Turned out to be a chunch of road debris stuck under the sway bar. WIN!
It happened yesterday. Car was making a ton of noise from the suspension. I was preparing to replace a bunch of stuff on this 12 year old Volvo. Turned out to be a chunch of road debris stuck under the sway bar. WIN!
My A/C. The system finally gave up the ghost a few months ago and I waited until the weather turned warm to do anything about it. I had expected to replace everything but the evaporator. The parts to do that job were surprisingly inexpensive, just a huge PITA. As it turned out the only thing that needed replacing were the Schrader valves and replacing them literally took a minute or so.
New valves: $5
2 cans of R-134: $27
Tools – Vacuum pump and gauges -$0 (thanks Autozone!)
Cool, cool air on a hot day: Priceless!
My A/C. The system finally gave up the ghost a few months ago and I waited until the weather turned warm to do anything about it. I had expected to replace everything but the evaporator. The parts to do that job were surprisingly inexpensive, just a huge PITA. As it turned out the only thing that needed replacing were the Schrader valves and replacing them literally took a minute or so.
New valves: $5
2 cans of R-134: $27
Tools – Vacuum pump and gauges -$0 (thanks Autozone!)
Cool, cool air on a hot day: Priceless!
My Boxster had the usual Porsche convertible top issue: the elastic that pulled it back in line had failed. The Porsche top uses a bunch of elastic bands to get the roof to sit in the little gutter that’s made out of black plastic.
I fixed it with some Bed Bands I got on Amazon for like $8. I found the busted shock cord in the roof, clamped one end of the Bed Band on each end, used the little adjuster loop to get it to the right tension and now, 4 years later, it’s still working.
tl:dr: I fixed the roof of my Porsche for less than $10. And I have a couple bands left for the next time, which will cost me $0 to fix.
You don’t want to break the big one that goes across the top, though. That freaking thing is $125 for what’s basically a shock cord with a loop on each end.
My Boxster had the usual Porsche convertible top issue: the elastic that pulled it back in line had failed. The Porsche top uses a bunch of elastic bands to get the roof to sit in the little gutter that’s made out of black plastic.
I fixed it with some Bed Bands I got on Amazon for like $8. I found the busted shock cord in the roof, clamped one end of the Bed Band on each end, used the little adjuster loop to get it to the right tension and now, 4 years later, it’s still working.
tl:dr: I fixed the roof of my Porsche for less than $10. And I have a couple bands left for the next time, which will cost me $0 to fix.
You don’t want to break the big one that goes across the top, though. That freaking thing is $125 for what’s basically a shock cord with a loop on each end.
Toyota wanted $350 for a new window motor assembly. I live by the philosophy that if something is broke, it can’t be more broken by trying to fix it. Cracked upon the plastic assembly to find a small motor driving it. $15 on eBay replaced it. JB welded assembly back together. That was over 10yrs ago and no issues.
Toyota wanted $350 for a new window motor assembly. I live by the philosophy that if something is broke, it can’t be more broken by trying to fix it. Cracked upon the plastic assembly to find a small motor driving it. $15 on eBay replaced it. JB welded assembly back together. That was over 10yrs ago and no issues.
A few years ago I was flogging my 911 in the mountains of West Virginia with like-minded people. On Saturday afternoon, in a downshift to second, I blew a spark plug out. Pulled over and saw it was the #6 plug, way in the back on the right. I determined the threads were totally hosed and that plug was not going back in, so I evaluate the risk of FOD, unplugged the injector and went on my way, loudly.
I was convinced this was going to be an engine-drop job, and either very time-consuming if I did it myself or expensive if I sent it to a shop. Since it was fine to drive – just 16.66% down on power, and loud – I finished the event and then drove seven hours home to Chicago. I then discovered that a small company that made specialized Porsche tools and parts made a tool for my exact problem – rethreading a stripped spark plug hole on a 911 with the engine in the car, where you can’t see what you’re doing. Pop the upper valve cover off, bolt the jig down, then use the provided Timesert to rethread the hole. $400 and a few hours later, it was fixed. Some of the best $400 I ever spent on a repair.
A few years ago I was flogging my 911 in the mountains of West Virginia with like-minded people. On Saturday afternoon, in a downshift to second, I blew a spark plug out. Pulled over and saw it was the #6 plug, way in the back on the right. I determined the threads were totally hosed and that plug was not going back in, so I evaluate the risk of FOD, unplugged the injector and went on my way, loudly.
I was convinced this was going to be an engine-drop job, and either very time-consuming if I did it myself or expensive if I sent it to a shop. Since it was fine to drive – just 16.66% down on power, and loud – I finished the event and then drove seven hours home to Chicago. I then discovered that a small company that made specialized Porsche tools and parts made a tool for my exact problem – rethreading a stripped spark plug hole on a 911 with the engine in the car, where you can’t see what you’re doing. Pop the upper valve cover off, bolt the jig down, then use the provided Timesert to rethread the hole. $400 and a few hours later, it was fixed. Some of the best $400 I ever spent on a repair.
I used to have a ’94 Accord 4-speed automatic and one day on my commute I noticed freeway engine speed was 300-400 RPM higher than normal. After trying a few things it was apparent the torque converter lockup was inoperable. I brought it to my local dealer and expected to hear that, after 10+ years and 100K+ miles, the transmission was failing and I was probably facing a 4-figure expense.
The service manager said he could replicate the symptoms but there was no obvious problem, so could they keep the car overnight to have one of their master mechanics look at it in the morning?
The next day, the amused mechanic called me. “This one was interesting and I needed to have a conversation with a few other Honda mechanics online. The Accord’s ECM won’t enable the torque converter lockup until coolant exceeds a specific temperature, and your thermostat has failed open. With a freeway commute, our current weather, and an open thermostat, you’re maintaining a coolant temperature a few degrees too low to enable the lockup. Your transmission is fine – we’ll just install a new thermostat and you’re good to go. No charge for the diagnosis.”
That’s fucking awesome. It’s fun when you give mechanics different/unusual jobs to break up the monotony of changing oil (you know, when the “different jobs” aren’t painful).
On my old van, I wanted the back bench seat raised up 1.5 inches to fit the cheap subwoofer box I’d bought. and the guy’s face lit up. Ran me $180 at the time but I think there was some other work in there. Crude-looking welds, too, but they held nicely for the rest of the time I owned the thing.
I used to have a ’94 Accord 4-speed automatic and one day on my commute I noticed freeway engine speed was 300-400 RPM higher than normal. After trying a few things it was apparent the torque converter lockup was inoperable. I brought it to my local dealer and expected to hear that, after 10+ years and 100K+ miles, the transmission was failing and I was probably facing a 4-figure expense.
The service manager said he could replicate the symptoms but there was no obvious problem, so could they keep the car overnight to have one of their master mechanics look at it in the morning?
The next day, the amused mechanic called me. “This one was interesting and I needed to have a conversation with a few other Honda mechanics online. The Accord’s ECM won’t enable the torque converter lockup until coolant exceeds a specific temperature, and your thermostat has failed open. With a freeway commute, our current weather, and an open thermostat, you’re maintaining a coolant temperature a few degrees too low to enable the lockup. Your transmission is fine – we’ll just install a new thermostat and you’re good to go. No charge for the diagnosis.”
That’s fucking awesome. It’s fun when you give mechanics different/unusual jobs to break up the monotony of changing oil (you know, when the “different jobs” aren’t painful).
On my old van, I wanted the back bench seat raised up 1.5 inches to fit the cheap subwoofer box I’d bought. and the guy’s face lit up. Ran me $180 at the time but I think there was some other work in there. Crude-looking welds, too, but they held nicely for the rest of the time I owned the thing.